Contour's 724J loader sets the bar high for reliability and uptime, according to Dave Bundy, Contour's owner.
In fact, by February 2007 the machine had chalked up 17,400 hours with only a couple of minor issues since the company bought it in 2003.

"I'm depending on that loader to keep our operation moving.
It's unheard of to have a loader last this long without touching the engine's top end," Bundy said.
"It's like having a car that lasts 300,000 miles."

Last year, the loader cost Contour just four cents per ton of coal produced, not counting fuel.
Repairs totaled one injector pump and one fan motor.

"The loader's operating cost is right where it should be," Bundy said.
"And now that it has many hours on it, the cost is probably lower than normal, because we've had virtually no breakdowns on it and next to no oil consumption between changes."

Both Bundy and loader operator Greg Arthur like the way the 724J handles when carrying the big push-beam sections.
"We've used competitive loaders, and this John Deere is a little heavier and handles the beams better," Bundy said.

"The loader is very stable when carrying the push-beam sections," Arthur added.

The 724J is still running on three of the four original tires, and have a lot of wear left.
L-5 tires have tread that is 2.5-times deeper than standard L-3 tires and use a harder, more tear-resistant rubber compound.
"The tires have worn like iron," Bundy said.

While the mining application is mostly a load-and-carry operation, the loader also cleans rocks from the push-beam auger sections after the miner extracts them from the mountain.
Typically, each push under the mountain extends for 800 to 1,000 feet before the mining machine pulls them back out again.

In response to an ever-increasing demand for coal, Bundy added a second highwall mining machine in May.
He also purchased a new 724J loader to support it.

Dave Bundy entered the coal mining business in 1985 with $100,000 in capital and formed Bundy Auger Mining in Pennsylvania with a single auger machine he operated alongside his only two employees.
Since then, he's expanded to a multimillion-dollar full-service mining operation encompassing 14 affiliate companies.

Contour Highwall Mining LLC, the company Bundy formed in 2000 to complement the operations of his auger business Bundy Auger Mining, continues to expand.
Contour Highwall Mining this year will add three additional highwall mining machines to its fleet of five highwall miners and assume ownership of a coal prep plant in Millard, Ky., says Bundy, CEO and partner.

"What we're seeing is an increased export demand with steam coal, which is keeping the market up," he adds.

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The plant is located on a CSX rail line, giving the company additional transportation capabilities, Bundy adds.

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"I feel we have the best people in the industry," Bundy says.
"They've basically accepted ownership right alongside of me, and I've worked side-by-side with many of them for several years; they're like family."

Bundy says his company's philosophy is simple.
"I always like to tell our people to `make it happen safely,'" he says.
"I like to have people go home at night thinking they've accomplished something at work that day."

Contour staff members have applied their experience in highwall mining to help improve the machines.
Several recommendations made by Contour staff to manufacturer Superior Highwall Miners have been incorporated into the machines.

"The best way to make a piece of equipment better is to have first worked with it," Bundy says.
"We've helped make major changes to these machines that help them go deeper, work on a narrow bench and harvest cleaner coal."

Staying Safe

Bundy says he is particularly proud of Contour's safety record.
"We have an impeccable safety record," he adds.

Eventually, they met Dave Bundy, president of Bundy Augering, who came to West Virginia from Pennsylvania with the same intentions.Shortly after the meeting, a new company, Contour Mining Inc., was formed.

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"We had an opportunity to get into the highwall mining business and looked at a couple of different systems," said Bundy, now vice president for Contour Mining."We liked the [SHM] system and the people behind it."

Meanwhile, as Contour Mining developed plans to acquire a SHM system, Peabody Energy was contemplating the remaining coal beneath its highwalls at its Colony Bay property.A mine plan was developed between Colony Bay, Contour Mining, and SHM.Contour Mining began moving equipment onto the Colony Bay property during December 2001, and started mining Jan. 2, 2002.When Coal Age visited the site during April, they had already mined more than 363,000 tons from five pits and they were moving to a new location.

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"We were fortunate to get experienced operators," said Bundy."They watch the machine's controls.As soon as they encounter a spike, they know that they are hitting cap coal.That contributes to the good quality we have been experiencing."

"We had heard that the machine was capable of staying within 2% to 3% seam ash and we were somewhat skeptical," said Bundy."It's made a believer out of me."

PRODUCTION CYCLE

The SHM system cuts a series of parallel rectangular-shaped entries to a depth of 1,000 feet (ft).Mounted on a set of four hydraulically powered crawlers, the machine is aligned perpendicular to the coal face.

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"The operator knows that certain beams would require specific pressures," said Dave Bundy."If the pressures are too heavy, a problem might have developed such as rock on the cutterhead."By watching the machine's controls, an operator can tell the mining depth and conditions.

Since the string of pushbeams are hinged at 20-ft intervals, the machine can be navigated vertically through rolls and undulations within the coal seam.In the horizontal direction, the beams are stiff.Proper parallel alignment of each hole is essential to avoid cutting through the rib and to maximize reserve recovery.

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"We have not experienced any significant downtime," Bundy said."We keep close tabs on oil sampling with Superior Highwall Miners.And, it's paid off, because we have caught things that could have lead to a major problem."

Bit life is a concern and a variable cost.

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"Currently, we are exceeding our expectations," said Bundy.

"We have exceeded all of Peabody Energy's minimum requirements."

Realizing that it is early in the game for Contour Mining, the company is happy with the results thus far.